Sony Reader PRS-T3

I got a bit hyped lately about reading. I basically started reading a lot about subjects that interest me ( IT Security, personal development etc) – for more on that check my Learn section where i post details about what i read and listen to. Since carrying a lot of books with me is not my thing i decided that i should be an ebook-reader. I got into a lot of discussions about why buy an ebook reader and not a tablet, but that’s related to my requirements.

My reasons for buying one of these are:

easy and portable way to read books – yup, you can fit smartphones and tablets in this category
read PDFs
e-ink screen – reading on an LCD (like on your laptop) can get really tiring when you’ve hit the 30th page. Even earlier.

I initialy wanted to buy a Kindle, but thanks to Amazons delivery policies (in my case being Denmark), i didn’t. After extensively reading and watching reviews i decided to go for the Sony Reader PRS-T3. Like my last 2 gadgets i bought it from ElGiganten for 999kr (aprox. 140 euros). I got it delivered along with an attached snap-case and mini-usb cable.

Specs

Screen size – 6″ (15,2 cm)
Resolution – 758 X 1024
Touchscreen – yes
Wifi – B, G, N
Ebook screen refresh time – 0.7 sec
Integrated memory – 2 GB
Memory – available slot, up to 32gb microsd
Dimensions – 109 X 11.3 X 160 mm
Weight – 200g (really light)
File format support – .TXT , .PDF , .EPUB

Pros

really lightweight – you can barely feel it
handwriting feature – you can take notes (either with your hands or with a stylus pen) right on the page you’re reading
web integration (web browser, post to facebook, save notes to evernote)

Cons

no built-in light (but you can buy a cover with light, a bit expensive though)
lag/unresponsivness – depending on how the PDF you are reading has been created, it may lag a bit when you try to reflow the text or even scroll to the next page. Instead of swiping for the next page you should better use the buttons.

Conclusions upon buying and usage

PDF reading – even though the Sony Reader is recommended as a PDF friendly ereader, the thing is that PDFs aren’t ebooks. They are made to be printed not to be read on ebook-readers.

Format conversion – if you want the best reading experience on an ereader you should definately get some .MOBI or .EPUB books. Or, if not available, try to convert your PDFs to one of the above formats. Depending on the way the PDF has been created you can get a nice or not-so-nice ebook.

Portability – being really lightweight and slim, i find it really pleasing to carry it with me.

Resources